Horseback Riding on Snow King Mountain is a Fun and Western Way to See the Area

The earliest horseback trail ride you can reserve on Snow King Mountain departs at 9am, early enough that the mountains are lit with beautiful morning light and late enough that the air is warm and pleasant. It was a small group, only 5 of us. Two local teenagers, two adults over 70 years old from northern California, and me, 27. It was a great mix of people and everyone had a great time.

Our guide, Billy, initially warned us not to let our horses eat any of the grass along the trail, or else we would end up spending an hour eating instead of riding. We left the stables at the base of Snow King Mountain, just next to the scenic chairlift, and started winding our way up the mountain along a horse-only trail. Many locals use the main hiking trail on Snow King as their daily excersice and we appreciated, as much as the hikers did as well, that we had our own horse trail to follow up the mountain. Although mostly in the sun, the trail weaves through a few forested sections for some much needed shade. About half way up the mountian, the trail veers left across the mountain toward the top of the Alpine Slide, which is where we begin our descent.

Because it is such a steep mountain, coming downhill on a horse made me a little uneasy on the corners. But after Ginger, my horse, slowly guided me around two bends, I was reassured that the horse does this every day and knows exactly where it's going. Our two guides, Billy and Kevin, were fantastic and pointed out landmarks and other Jackson Hole activities. Although a little dusty, it felt great to be on a horse again and to sample a little taste of Jackson's western flair.